EyeShotFirst

I keep hoping somebody will make a decent mod for Shaun. It would be cool if he could be a follower. Imagine if he had like a great science perk that made up for the fact that he wouldn't be much good with a missle launcher. I just keep watching Shaun standing in the middle of Sanctuary doing nothing. He'll randomly go hammer on a wall sometimes.

I went pretty early. I always test myself in Fallout games to see how far I can go as an early leveler. I used to take pride in being able to make it to the Vegas strip at level 1 or 2. Skyrim was just a quick carriage ride to whichever city, but there wasn't really a big city goal. I went to Diamond City solely because Piper looked the cutest of the companions...yeah that's how I roll.

Great insights from all. It's interesting how I felt more of a connection with the companions in New Vegas. Take the character of Boone. There was something rewarding about fighting the Legion with him. Even though it was back to the hard life that was the Mojave wasteland after all was said and done, I felt more like I'd went on a journey with him. In Fallout 4, Piper has been my main companion for 98% of my play-through. After I maxed out the affinity for her, she might as well be settler number 4 in Sanctuary. There was a great lack of the level that New Vegas gave you with the companions. I loved sifting through the destroyed caravan's with Cass. I loved seeing the Brotherhood through Veronica's perspective. Unfortunately, I've yet to play the DLCs...So, it might not be prudent to judge the game so harshly, but I felt more connected to buggy vanilla New Vegas on the PS3. That was the hardest thing about 4, was caring. It's a beautiful game, and it's so well done...but I feel so removed from story, which isn't a good thing for an RPG. Back to Shaun, I feel that Father may have put more of himself into the kid as well. Sadly, Bethesda didn't play up any of that brilliance. I'm still pretty miffed that Shaun didn't have more of a presence in the game. Hell, Red Dead Redemption, as much as I hated the son...I felt like there was a chemistry between the 2 characters. I hate to sound like I'm shitting on the game. I never consider any great game to be perfect. I've loved pretty much every Bethesda release I've played. Anyway, in a game that deals with the prejudices of A.I., I think the A.I. should be more nuanced. Going back to things like Blade Runner of the Artificial Intelligence movie, I probably am expecting a bit much. It's very hard to have a world so big and not make it feel so empty. Mafia 2 was gorgeous and I loved driving around, but if you weren't playing the liner story, you felt alone. Rockstar probably does it better than anyone, but Bethesda has more of a freedom to roam, and I prefer the lore of Fallout and Elder Scrolls. Rockstar games also still feel pretty linear, with GTA V breaking the mold...albeit the only real branches coming at the very end of the trail. But I feel like they captured humanity so well. It might've been overblown satire, but it felt real. Anyway, I'm rambling.

Finally got around to saving Shaun...I know, it's been ages since the release and I probably didn't need to be modding and making my settlements so balling. Upon finding "Shaun" and siding with the Institute...I can't help but feel a bit of disappointment with how unfulfilling and how much of an afterthought synth Shaun is. He just sort of hangs around at Sanctuary and says the same handful of sentences. Occasionally he asks me to give him random things. I liked the Wazer Wifle, but Shaun...the McGuffin of Fallout 4...the whole reason to go through all I went through...is less interactive than Trashcan Carla. Hell, the kids you adopt in Skyrim feel more like your children. What I'm getting at is it would be neat if you could do more with Shaun. Have him follow you. It would be such a great feature if he was a companion. Be kind of like The Road, just a father and son surviving. It seems there aren't really any mods for Synth Shaun...I can shoot baby Shaun nukes. I was also thinking it would've almost been a real interesting angle to have played through Synth Shaun's perspective. To have found out at some point in the game that you are a Synth. Or perhaps just made that plot point for the Wanderer. Would've been kind of like The Final Cut of Blade Runner. Anyway, I'm probably not the first to complain about this, but I feel like Shaun is an afterthought. Bethesda does this quite a bit, I've noticed. Finally fighting Alduin after becoming hardened by the dungeons of Tamriel was a joke. Finding your Father in 3 was kind of unfulfilling as well. Not saying I wanted to bond, but it just seemed like the goal wasn't as rewarding as the quest. {Edit} I realize this isn't in the spoiler thread...sorry :C